


Canned Sardines for the Soul

by Hertz



Category: Food Fantasy (Video Game)
Genre: Cats, Fluff, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-20
Updated: 2018-08-20
Packaged: 2019-06-30 04:31:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,085
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15744348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hertz/pseuds/Hertz
Summary: Bonito Rice. What a nice name.Sanma crept closer, careful to usher all of the kitties he usually fed out of the way. He looked at the dish Bonito had served before he sat down beside the other food soul. He didn't know why he was even attempting to be friendly to Bonito - this wasn't something he’d usually do, but something about him drew Sanma in.





	Canned Sardines for the Soul

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, [Cat Rice](http://wiki.joyme.com/szqy/%E7%8C%AB%E9%A5%AD) is in the Chinese version of the game (at least, that's the literal translation of his name. I'm not sure what his English name would be)
> 
> Edit: since Bonito Rice has now been released in the English version, I did some updates

Rustling leaves blew in the wind as the young man walked along the wooden path, stepping on twigs and leaves as he walked by. But of course, it was autumn - the landscape was covered with a sheer abundance of flame-coloured leaves.

Nearing his destination, Sanma looked down at the large bowl of cooked chicken he had prepared for his little guests. Then he looked back up again, only to come to a halt as he realised there was someone else here.

Really? Here? Sanma cast his gaze around doubtfully. Sure, there were cottages here, and perhaps even a restaurant from the smell of things, but who would be wandering alone on this small woodland path?

Sanma edged a little closer, darting behind a tree with practiced ease. The person had an parasol shielding their face from view, but the unique pattern caused Sanma to try to examine it further. It appeared to be a crescent moon printed at the side.

Then, he noticed something else. The stranger had set out food for the cats to play with, and they circled it, sniffing at their new friend curiously to pick up their scent.

 _That settles it,_ Sanma decided. _No one feeds a homeless cat unless they're kind at heart._

And so, still clutching the bowl of meat, Sanma purposely stepped hard on a twig, giving the person a warning in advance. They tensed and turned around to face Sanma, brandishing their parasol as a weapon.

_A food soul._

They had short, straight black hair, and their eyes were similarly dark, glittering. They wore traditional clothes, long and flowing, much like Sanma himself. Then there was said parasol. There wasn't much expression on their face, but their lips were slightly parted in curiosity. The food soul blinked once, twice, before they reopened their parasol and held it normally again.

But the thing that drew Sanma’s eyes the most were the black, triangular ears perched on top of their head. He looked at them, stunned. 

_A cat? A food soul?_

The stranger frowned. “Hey, who are you? You’re a food soul too, right?” he called, (and Sanma deduced that he was most likely a he).

Still finding himself in a state of shock, Sanma nodded. He felt like his jaw was probably reaching the ground by now. Sanma hadn't known it was possible for food souls to have animal-like traits. If only he could have such feline characteristics as well. 

Clearing his throat quietly, he stuck his free hand out. “I’m Sanma Shioyaki, and you are?”

The stranger tiptoed closer, his eyebrows furrowed as he sniffed at the chicken in Sanma’s bowl. Even his mannerisms were like a cat - he was crouched slightly, his hands bunched into fists to resemble paws, and of course, his ears twitching. Sanma found all of this rather strangely captivating.

“This smells good,” the stranger commented. Within seconds Sanma found his hands feeling considerably lighter. He stared at the other food soul in disbelief.

“Hey, thanks! Bonito Rice is the name.” He yawned and settled down near the giant root of the tree behind him, placing the parasol nearby to shut out the evening light. 

_Bonito Rice. What a nice name._ Sanma crept closer, careful to usher all of the kitties he usually fed out of the way. He looked at the dish Bonito had served before he sat down beside the other food soul. He didn't know why he was even attempting to be friendly to Bonito - this wasn't something he’d usually do, but something about him drew Sanma in.

Who was he kidding? It was the cat ears.

“You really did feed them rice?”

“We eat the meat,” Bonito said matter-of-factly, lazily waving a hand about.

“...do you come here often?” Sanma squirmed. He was really bad at this.

“Not yet. We were just newly summoned by my Master Attendant. She lives nearby, so we were just taking a walk.” The same pale, thin finger pointed at one of the cottages along the peaceful path. 

“It looks cozy,” he offered.

“Ah, yeah. Super nice and warm, too. There’s a fireplace. We could sleep all day~”

 _...he even acts like a cat,_ Sanma marvelled. Bonito even seemed to refer to the cats surrounding him as an extension of his being. How could he not have known of Bonito’s existence until today? This was a sin, and he was cleansing that right away. How had everyone neglected to inform him that feline food souls even existed?! This was adorable. This was much too adorable for him.

“Ah, right.” Another wave of his hand. “So, you don't need to lug your big bowl all the way over here anymore. We can cover that, no problem. Cats are like my family.”

Sanma had never felt this excited before in his life. There was the excitement just before a heated battle, but this? This was something different. Here was someone with whom he didn't even need to try to socialise with. They both agreed on one thing, the most important thing (in Sanma’s humble opinion as of right now). It was obvious to him now.

“I love cats too,” he replied, smiling as one of the little rascals crept onto the branch next to him and pawed at his hand. 

“They’re hard not to love.”

“I agree.”

Sanma sat silent for a while, for once just enjoying sitting there and basking in like company. Eventually, though, Bonito got up, hoisting his red-and-white parasol over his shoulder, fixing Sanma with his curious gaze.

“Do _you_ come here often?”

“Of course. I used to come here and feed these cats a lot -”

“Glad to have met you, friend,” Bonito cut off smoothly. “In that case, forget what we said about the meat. We want some as well.”

“Huh?”

Bonito had a fitting feline smile on his face, giving his parasol a little twirl. “We’ll be expecting you here tomorrow at six again, so don't you forget our dinner.”

“I -” Sanma watched Bonito scamper off, a little leap and bounce in his step. He moved with an air of grace about him, mimicked by one of the kitties following him. 

_...he moves like a cat as well._

Sanma stood there, dumbstruck for a few moments longer before he moved to pick his emptied bowl up from the ground. Some cats purred and coiled around his ankles with familiarity, touching a smile to Sanma’s lips.

“Like him? He’s your new friend.”

“Meow!” They purred, rubbing their heads against his legs.


End file.
